About the Foundation

The Foundation is a non-profit organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, founded by Pasquale Pistorio in April 2005, with the scope of providing assistance to under privileged children in the field of health, nutrition, and education, either through direct aid or actions, or through donations or other financial or material support to humanitarian programs or charity institutions providing assistance to deprived children, in particular in the less advantaged regions on earth, struck by wars, natural disasters, or serious events.

With an ever shrinking world and blurring boundaries, everyone should share responsibility in fighting on all fronts for the respect and implementation of children’s rights.

Over 340 million children struggle with poverty in precarious shelters. There are approximately 150 million street children of which 60% work in the streets to support their families and 40% are homeless (as a percentage of the world population this figure has no precedent in the history of civilization). 50 million children are not legally registered.

115 million children do not attend school.

29.000 children per day die of preventable diseases.

Humanity cannot ignore these alarming realities that call for immediate action.

We believe that human dignity depends on our efforts and ability to protect the world’s children.

Our Dream
Our dream is that children’s rights as stated in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child be fully implemented, enforced, and respected in every country of the world.

Our dream is that every child be entitled to an education.

That every child be entitled to health care assistance.

That every child be entitled to a caring and loving family who will always act in the best interest of the child.

That no child be ever subjected to exploitation, poverty, hunger, deprivation, or suffering from poverty or cruelty.

That every child’s right to innocence be respected.

That every child be entitled to live a happy childhood and to develop his or her full potential.

Our Mission
Our mission is to improve the living conditions of children in the poorest regions of the world, so that every child we reach receives at least proper education, nutrition and health-care. We will also strive to improve their living conditions addressing issues like a safe shelter, a caring home, and the means for empowerment of their family, and in particular their mothers, as well as their communities.

We want to spread awareness of children's rights and we want to promote values of solidarity, cooperation, justice, giving and volunteering.

Our Vision
Ten thousand smiles around the world
Our vision is to extend our support to 10,000 children every year within the next 10 years, while at the same time initiating and promoting sustainable development programs in the regions where the children live that will ultimately benefit the children's lives and prospects for a brighter future.

We have started our first year by sending 383 children to school and ensuring them nutrition, healthcare, and in some cases shelter, while at the same time creating and improving their schools' infrastructure. Our goal is that by 2016 we are able to support each year the education of 10,000 children.

How We Operate
The Foundation will concentrate its efforts on a limited number of geographical regions to prevent dispersion of resources.

Priority areas of intervention are education, basic nutrition, women empowerment, family planning, health and sanitation, and sustainable economic development.

We value the importance of investing in the uniqueness of every culture and local traditions so that people may find sources of development and empowerment using the tools that they are familiar with.

To date we have no structural costs and no operating expenses.

We operate with the support of local partners and volunteers. We will work on specific projects only with NGOs or non-profit organizations that satisfy rigorous criteria and that share our philosophy of operating with minimal or null overhead costs.

Board Members donate on a voluntary basis their time and skills and travel on locations for auditing purposes and/or for further project developments at their own expense. As per the bylaws, the President agrees to contribute up to 25.000 Swiss Francs towards operating expenses (Article 8 of the By-laws)

All available resources and donations go directly to projects for the benefit of the children and families we are reaching.

Should the Foundation grow substantially in the coming years so that a minimum operational structure will be needed, administration costs still will not exceed 10% of the budget (Article 8 of the By-laws).

The Foundation does not have any political or religious affiliation.

March 2006

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